William James Glackens

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Glackens, William James (1870–1938). American painter and draughtsman, born in Philadelphia, where he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His early career was spent mainly as a newspaper illustrator, but he was encouraged to take up painting by Robert Henri, whom he met in 1891. In 1895 he visited Paris and in 1896 he settled in New York. There he initially continued to work for newspapers and magazines, but he devoted more time to painting and did little illustration after about 1905. In 1908 he was one of the group of painters who exhibited together as The Eight. His work as a newspaperman led him to depict scenes of contemporary life, and he is considered one of the central figures of the Ashcan School. However, he was less concerned with Social Realism than with representing the life of the people as a colourful spectacle, and he was heavily influenced by the Impressionists. Chez Mouquin (Art Institute of Chicago, 1905), a high-keyed depiction of a restaurant that was a favourite resort of artists in his circle, was inspired by Manet's famous A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. By the time of the Armory Show (1913), which he helped to organize, Glackens was painting in a style reminiscent of the early Renoir. From 1912 he was employed as art consultant by Dr Albert C. Barnes and toured Europe buying paintings that formed the nucleus of the celebrated Barnes Foundation at Merion, Pennsylvania. In 1917 he was elected first president of the Society of Independent Artists.

Glackens, William James (b Philadelphia, 13 Mar. 1870; d Westport, Conn., 22 May 1938). American painter and draughtsman. His early career was spent mainly as a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia, but he was encouraged to take up painting by Robert Henri, whom he met in 1891. In 1896 he settled in New York and in 1908 he was one of the group of painters who exhibited together as The Eight. He is considered one of the central figures of the Ashcan School, but he was less concerned with Social Realism than with representing the life of the people as a colourful spectacle, and he was heavily influenced by the Impressionists. By the time of the Armory Show (1913), which he helped to organize, Glackens was painting in a style reminiscent of the early Renoir. From 1912 he was employed as art consultant by Dr Albert C. Barnes (an old school friend) and toured Europe buying paintings that formed the nucleus of the celebrated Barnes Foundation at Merion, Pennsylvania. In 1917 he was elected first president of the Society of Independent Artists.

Glackens, William James (1870–1938). American painter and draughtsman. His early career was spent mainly as a newspaper illustrator in his native Philadelphia, but he was encouraged to take up painting by Robert Henri, whom he met in 1891. In 1896 he settled in New York and in 1908 he was one of the group of painters who exhibited together as The Eight. He is considered one of the central figures of the Ashcan School, but he was less concerned with Social Realism than with representing the life of the people as a colourful spectacle, and he was heavily influenced by the Impressionists. By the time of the Armory Show (1913), which he helped to organize, Glackens was painting in a style reminiscent of the early Renoir. From 1912 he was employed as art consultant by Dr Albert C. Barnes and toured Europe buying paintings that formed the nucleus of the celebrated Barnes Foundation at Merion, Pennsylvania. In 1917 he was elected first president of the Society of Independent Artists.

William James Glackens 1870–1938, American landscape and genre painter and illustrator, b. Philadelphia. An illustrator for Philadelphia and New York City newspapers and magazines for many years, Glackens first exhibited his paintings with the Eight and achieved fame as a brilliant painter of the contemporary scene. In his early works he used a dark palette. After staying in Paris, he adapted the technique of the French impressionist school and turned to a brighter range of colors. He was particularly influenced by Renoir. Parade, Washington Square (Whitney Mus., New York City), and Nude with Apple (Brooklyn Mus., New York) are characteristic of his later work. He is well represented in the Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pa., and other leading American collections.

Bibliography: See I. Glackens, William Glackens and the Ashcan Group (1957).